In general, a bilingual translation using a translation machine is performed in a manner shown in FIG. 1, wherein the original sentence of a language to be translated must be analyzed in various ways in the process of translation in a translation machine. These analyses can be classified into morpheme analysis, sentence construction analysis or syntax analysis and meaning analysis. The morpheme analysis is to classify each of the words into the person, number and sequence of the sentence by referring to the grammatical information and translation information and a part of speech from a dictionary contained in the translation machine. The sentence construction analysis is analyzes the construction of the sentence by checking the grammatical relation of each of the words. The meaning analysis determines correct analysis and incorrect analysis on the basis of a plurality of sentence construction analyses. The machine translation is made by performing the morpheme analysis, sentence construction analysis and the meaning analysis up to a predetermined level to obtain an internal construction of the sentence of the original language and thereafter the machine converts the internal construction of the original language into an internal construction of the sentence of the translation language corresponding to the predetermined level, then the machine generates the output translation of the desired language. The accuracy of the translation in the machine depends on the degree of the predetermined level of the analysis. The translation made by using only the morpheme analysis can not realize a translation, on a sentence basis, the translation being limited to the word basis translation as performed in a portable type electronic translator. The translation machine performing morpheme analysis and sentence construction analysis can translate with grammatical correctness, but generates a plurality of translation results, so that the operator must select the correct translation among them, therefore the works of the operator increases. The translation machine performing up to the meaning analysis is theoretically able to output only one correct translation result, but there must be provided a great deal of information in the translation machine, therefore it may be impossible to manufacture such a translation machine.
The present invention is directed to a translation system of performing up to the sentence structure analysis. The translation system according to the present invention can perform translation on a sentence basis and can produce all grammatically correct translations.
FIG. 2 shows a typical translation system, wherein there are provided a processor 1, keyboard 2 having a plurality of keys for inputting necessary data to the processor 1, a memory 3 for storing the data relating to the processor 1, a display unit 4 for displaying the results obtained by the processing in the processor 1 and a translation module 5 for storing various information necessary for translation. The translation module 5 contains an original sentence buffer 51 for storing inputted original sentences, a dictionary buffer 52 for storing the result of consulting the dictionary, a sentence analysis buffer 53 for storing the result of analysis of the sentence structure of the original sentence, sentence forming buffer 54 for storing the content of the sentence analysis buffer 53 in the form of the output language, and a result buffer 55 for storing the result of the morpheme generation of the output language and a table including a dictionary, rule of grammar used in the translation machine, and so on. FIGS. 3 (1) to 3 (3) show the contents stored in the buffers 51 to 55 when the input sentence is
Time flies like an arrow.
FIG. 3 (1) shows the contents of the original sentence buffer 51 and dictionary buffer 52. The dictionary buffer 52 takes the grammatical information and translation information such as a part of speech corresponding to the input word stored in the original sentence buffer 51. In the sentence analysis buffer 53 shown in FIG. 3 (2), the sentence structure is analyzed according to the information of the part of speech defined for each word. FIG. 3 (3) shows the content of the sentence forming buffer 54 and result buffer 55, wherein the result of the conversion of the content of the sentence analysis buffer 53 into the information for the output language is stored in the sentence forming buffer 54.
FIGS. 4 (1) to 4 (3) show an example of the display of a display device of the conventional translation machine.
As shown in FIG. 4 (1), when the sentence to be translated is inputted, the result of the translation is displayed as shown in FIGS. 4 (2) and 4 (3). The translated sentences as shown are the results of the translation performed under recognition of the parts of speech of each word as shown in the table 1 in which results of translation from English to Japanese and German are listed.
TABLE 1 __________________________________________________________________________ input sentence translation translation (English) (Japanese) (German) __________________________________________________________________________ Time flies like an arrow. Die Zeit-Fliege siebt aus wie ein Pheil. noun noun preposition noun (Ya no yo na jikan hae) Time flies like an arrow. Messen Sie die Fliege wie ein Pheil. verb noun preposition noun (Ya no yo ni hae o hakare) Time flies like an arrow. Messen Sie die Fliege, die sieht aus wie Pheil. verb noun preposition noun (Ya no yo na hae o hakare) Time flies like an arrow. Die Zeit-Fliege hat den Pheil gern. noun noun verb noun (Jikan hae wa ya o konomu) Time flies like an arrow. Die Zeit fliegt so schnell wie ein Pheil. noun verb preposition noun (Jikan wa ya no yo ni to bu) __________________________________________________________________________
The translations are correct so far as rules grammar are concerned. Apparently, a user can determine that the translation shown in item 5 is correct. However, the translation machine can not determine which translation is correct. If the meaning analysis is perfect, the translation machine can output the translation of item 5. However in order to make the correct translation, it is necessary to store the following information with respect to the meaning analysis,
(a) an arrow does not resemble a fly, PA0 (b) an arrow is not provided with an ability of measuring time, PA0 (c) it can not considered that a fly likes an arrow.
Apparently it is almost impossible to store all the information of the real world in the translation machine. Accordingly, in the conventional translation machine, several translated sentences having different meanings are produced from one input sentence although only one translation should occur from one input sentence. Since several translations occur in the conventional translation machine, the operator of the translation machine must repeat several operations for obtaining a correct translation. Furthermore, in the machine translation, all possible solutions of the translation are searched and the translation machine acts to obtain all possible solutions, whereby it takes much time to obtain the correct translation. Therefore, the conventional translation machine acts to output each of the solutions every time a solution is found. Accordingly, in the case shown in FIGS. 4 (1) to 4 (3), for example, when the first solution shown in FIG. 4 (1) is displayed, the operator can not know how many solutions remains. Therefore, the conventional translation machine has another disadvantage that the operator can not estimate how many times he must operate the translation key for obtaining the correct solution in addition to the disadvantage that frequent operation of the translation key for obtaining the correct solution is necessary. These disadvantages represent a mental burden on the operator. Thus, it is desired to decrease the number of operations of the translation key for obtaining the correct solution.